The team behind District Kitchen + Cocktails brings elevated pub grub in a relaxed family-friendly setting to Northwest Austin

Oasthouse Kitchen Bar
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Food

Atmosphere

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​The ’burbs get a bad rap for being cultural vacuums populated by cookie-cutter establishments. It’s an easy pronouncement to make on drive-by, though closer consideration reveals the fallacy of such a judgment. Still, the suburbs aren’t the first place your average restaurateur chooses for a new venture—unless you’re talking about Amir and Ali Hajimaleki.

In 2013, the Hajimaleki brothers, with Amir as executive chef and Ali as head of operations, set their sights on Circle C. They opened District Kitchen + Cocktails, a relaxed yet upscale spot serving approachable, elevated fare. I can imagine the pre-development conversations going something like, “Duh. Of course people want a great neighborhood restaurant that’s actually in their neighborhood.” Apparently, the residents of Circle C and environs agreed, as District, by all accounts, is a success. As of late last year, the brothers Hajimaleki brought the same formula to the Four Points neighborhood in Northwest Austin.

Oasthouse Kitchen + Bar, located in the Trails at 620 shopping complex, shares a lot with its southerly sibling. Both are lively and spacious, at once polished and rustic, with a decided “downtown” feel, despite their locations in shopping strips. You’ll also find many of the same items on Oasthouse and District’s menus: hog wings with a Shiner-tamarind dipping sauce, creamy truffled crawfish mac ‘n’ cheese, a bright hamachicrudo and assorted flatbreads. And the two restaurants share a commitment to showcasing locally sourced, seasonally driven ingredients, such as a lovely and not-too-sweet cobbler made with Fredericksburg peaches. (No surprise, of course, as Chef Amir helms both kitchens.)

However, Oasthouse distinguishes itself with its more European-inflected gastropub fare. While the restaurant is described as German-inspired and Texas-influenced, the menu is actually a bit worldlier than that, revealing the thread of Amir’s culinary career, which includes a stint in an Asian kitchen. So while you’ll find German-inspired veal schnitzel and Texas-influenced carnitas poutine, you’ll also find Thai-inflected touches in a seasonal asparagus bisque with a coconut-lime-basil base drizzled with chile aioli, or rice flour–crusted calamari with pad Thai dipping sauce.

The chef’s time in Louisiana shows up in the form of a blackened chicken Creole with crawfish sauce or shrimp and grits with a buttery and a richly flavorful 512 porter sauce that recalls the barbecued shrimp at Mr. B’s in New Orleans. And, of course, no gastropub menu would be complete without British touches—England being the birthplace of the term, after all—such as fish and chips or bangers and mash, reimagined here Lone Star–style with a rib-eye and pork banger, mashed sweet potatoes and bacon-bourbon mostarda. (All the bacon and sausage the restaurant serves is made in house.)

The menu is divided roughly into entrees and snackable, shareable dishes with plenty to choose from in each, which makes it amenable to post-office happy hours and family groups. Indeed, the restaurant is quite family-friendly. While there, I watched servers handle large parties with several kids easily. Oasthouse has a dedicated kids’ menu, which isn’t particularly unusual, as well as a shaded patio and a conveniently adjacent playscape, which is much harder to come by, especially at a restaurant whose food doesn’t come wrapped in paper. (Don’t worry, drinkers and game watchers, there’s an ample bar and 21+ patio area if you fear being overrun by ankle biters.) And there’s plenty to choose from when it comes to adult beverages. True to its namesake—an oast is a kiln where hops are dried—beer is a focus, with more than 20 craft beers on tap, as well as a wide selection of wines and cocktails.

For the most part, all the dishes I tried were skillfully prepared with layered flavors that are interesting but not overly complex, which is exactly what you’d expect for an establishment serving upscale but relaxed, comfortable fare. But I had some quibbles. For instance, I wish the grilled shishito peppers were less oily, and I found the chile lime aioli dipping sauce overpowered the peppers’ flavor. And speaking of that chile-lime aioli, it pops up as a garnish several places on the menu. I get the thrifty wisdom of making the most of an ingredient, but I like to see it manifest in different ways. What can I say? It’s an occupational hazard of studying menus at a microscopic level.

But like I said, quibbles. Diverging preferences doesn’t take away from the fact that from its drink and food offerings to its atmosphere, Oasthouse is welcoming to all. If you’re nearby, you’d do well to stop in, whether that means forgoing a sad desk lunch for an akaushi farmhouse pub burger topped with Guinness cheddar and a sunny-side egg, taking your family for post-Sunday service sustenance or letting rush hour traffic wane with some snacks and a brew.